My Disciples Are All Villains

The lava flowed like red-hot molten iron along the trench. Its speed was not fast, and the range of its splashes was not too high so he could easily dodge it with his current cultivation base.

After flying for an hour along the winding trench, Lu Zhou finally came to a stop in the volcano cave-like valley. It was dark, and the only illumination came from the lava.

Although Lu Zhou could feel the extreme heat that was the opposite of the Cold Pond, he felt the place was not harsh enough for him to pass his Birth Trial.

It was clearly recorded in the ancient books that it was best to undergo one's Birth Trial in a place where the environment reached the limit of what one's Birth Palace could bear. Just like the forging of a weapon, a high temperature was required to melt the metal before it could be forged into the desired weapon.

Due to the fire-resistant ability he gained from one of his life hearts, his resistance to heat had increased a lot. He had no choice but to travel deeper.

After flying for 15 minutes, Lu Zhou arrived at an area that was shaped like a gourd.

Lava fell from the mouth of the gourd to the bottom of the gourd.

The heat was stronger than before.

Lu Zhou looked at the lava flowing in the trench that had grown narrow.

"This is it," Lu Zhou muttered as he began to sweat. He could feel that this place tested his limits.

Following that, he rushed toward the huge rock located at the bottom of the 'gourd'. As soon as he landed, a sizzling noise rang in the air. The corner of his long robe was ignited by the rock's high temperature. He waved his hand, extinguishing the fire.

He had almost forgotten how insanely high the temperature was. If he was accidentally burned by the rock, the results would be interesting.

He studied the rock and found that the rock he was standing on and the other rocks in this place were not ordinary rocks; if they were, they would have turned into molten rocks.

Lu Zhou leaped up and moved to stand in the air above the flowing lava. Then, he sat in the air and placed his hands on his lap.

After he brought out his lotus, he looked at his life hearts as he waited for his Birth Palace to react to the harsh environment. The process felt like he was boiling his Birth Palace in red-hot lava.

There was no reaction from his Birth Palace after two hours had passed.

After another two hours flew by, there was no reaction either.

When almost six hours had passed, Lu Zhou finally felt a burning sensation in his Dantian's sea of Qi. The feeling was similar to what he felt when he embedded his sixth life heart. However, it was not as painful as when he embedded the life heart.

Following that, Lu Zhou saw the changes in his Birth Palace. The distinct lines of the zones glowed as though they were burning. They would flash every two seconds.

Soon after, he felt a prickling pain.

The temperature seemed to have increased by many times and was highly uncomfortable.

"This is just a psychological effect," Lu Zhou muttered to himself.

It was not difficult for an ordinary person to carry a bucket of water. However, if they wanted to continue holding onto it, it would require strong endurance and tenacity. This was the kind of situation Lu Zhou was in at the moment.

He carefully looked at the changes in his Birth Palace and wondered out loud, "How long will take to complete this?"

The changes were too slow. The borders between two life hearts were still as fine as a strand of hair, and the diameter of the Birth Palace still spanned a few meters. It would take a long time for it to expand at this rate.

'Well, there's no turning back. Since I'm here, I might as well take my time…'

Lu Zhou closed his eyes and began to cultivate. He began by recovering his supreme mystic power first before he began his daily cultivation.

When he entered his meditative state when comprehending the Heavenly Writing, his mind cleared, and an unprecedented sense of comfort spread in his body. In such a hot environment, the comfort provided by the Heavenly Writing was incredibly precious.

The scripts from the Heavenly Writing appeared in his mind.

At this point, Lu Zhou was already familiar with the Human Scroll of the Heavenly Writing. With just a thought, he could easily enter the meditative state.

On the other hand, he was almost done reading the Earth Scroll of the Heavenly Writing, but he had yet to completely master them.

Currently, Lu Zhou possessed seven powers from the Heavenly Writing. If it were not for the fact that they consumed supreme mystic power, these seven powers alone could dominate the black lotus domain and the white lotus domain. He could only imagine how powerful the Heaven Scroll was; alas, he had no idea how to unlock it. The only thing he could do now was to comprehend what he could.

…

In the red lotus domain's Sky Research Court.

Si Wuya, Zhao Hongfu, and the others stood around the ancient sheepskin map.

"My master is in closed-door cultivation and won't be around for a period of time. During this time, apart from cultivating, he'll try to figure out the specific locations of the remaining three Uncharted Lands…" Si Wuya said.

Huang Yu placed one foot on a chair and said, "You and Sister Hongfu can study this while Dachui and I will upgrade your weapons. We all have fields we specialize in, after all."

"You have a point."

Wang Dachui, who was standing nearby, recalled something they had previously discussed and asked, "Mister Seventh, is it very difficult to pass the Birth Trial?"

"It depends on one's physique. If you can withstand an environment that exceeds the limit of what your Birth Palace can bear, it'll be faster. It'll take at least three months, and at most, two to three years to complete the Birth Trial. After all, it's inevitable for one to stop and rest after a certain time; this eats up a lot of time as well. Although one would not need to eat for half a year after entering the Thousand Realms Whirling stage, one's body might change under extreme circumstances. For example, if placed in a desert, even cultivators would eventually get thirsty…" Si Wuya replied.

"Then how long do you think it'll take Pavilion Master Lu to pass his Birth Trial?"

In their opinions, Lu Zhou was a top expert who had already passed two Birth Trials, after all.

"I'm not sure about that either. When master cultivates, he doesn't like to be around people," Si Wuya answered truthfully.

"What a pity! Pavilion Master Lu has so many experiences, and yet, you still have to blindly fumble around…"

After all, Si Wuya had been studying the activation of Birth Charts and the opening of Birth Palaces for a long time previously.

Si Wuya said, "My master has always been like this. He teaches us according to our aptitude. His experience may not be suitable for us."

"How insightful."

...

In the yellow lotus domain.

Great Qing's royal palace.

Wang Chao's death firmly established Zhu Honggong's status. Even Ji Hong, the emperor of Great Qing, was slightly inferior to him.

In the Hall of Saints…

Lu Li said, "Your master is really amazing; he can even scare the people of Great Ming."

"That person they spoke of might not be my master. I know my master's temper better than you do…"

"You're right. His surname is Lu so he might be from the Lu clan. However, although my uncle's cultivation base is high, he's not strong enough to make the Grand Tutor of Great Ming bow his head…" Lu Li said, perplexed.

"Let's not dwell on this matter. Let's talk about the eleven leaves," Zhu Honggong said as he manifested his avatar. Then, he moved the golden halo surrounded by eleven leaves in front of him.

Lu Li shook his head and said, "I've never seen an avatar like yours before. Without a lotus, there's no Birth Chart. However, without a lotus, you can kill a Four Chart Thousand Realms Whirling cultivator…"

"Is it possible that I'm just highly gifted?"

"..." Lu Li rolled his eyes and said, "No matter what, your cultivation base now has entered the Thousand Realms Whirling stage. To further improve, I'm afraid the yellow lotus domain is no longer enough."

"Why?" Zhu Hong stood up like a spring.

"You had to absorb eight life hearts before you sprouted the eleventh leaf. Do you know how many lives were sacrificed to obtain that eight life hearts? You're lucky the people in the yellow lotus domain revere you and are willing to sacrifice their lives for you. If it's any other place, you can forget about obtaining so many life hearts. Therefore, you have to be more conscious of their well-being…"

Zhu Hong did not understand.

Seeing the confusion written clearly on Zhu Honggong's face, Lu Li patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Setting the yellow lotus domain free is the best thing to do. I have compiled your words into a book. After a while, we can leave…"

"..."

"A higher-level Birth Chart Beast isn't a match for the entire yellow lotus domain. However, you have the Great Void energy. Even if you lie still, your cultivation base will still continue to grow. Sooner or later, you'll bring disaster to the yellow lotus domain if you continue to stay…" Lu Li explained.

Zhu Honggong did not want to leave. However, he knew it was not a good idea to stay any longer than necessary. Moreover, Great Ming had also discovered the location of the yellow lotus domain.

"Can I come back in the future?"

"Of course. When I return, I'll build a runic passage to this place. The Black Tower Council has the best runemasters. I will ask them for help. Apart from that, I've already hidden your Great Void energy so don't run around outside to show off!" Lu Li said.

Upon hearing these words, it suddenly dawned on Zhu Honggong how carefully Lu Li had taken care of him.

"When we return, you'll have to return to the golden lotus domain. However, the golden lotus domain is weak. I'll find a way to help you. If your master can't teach you, I'll teach you," Lu Li continued to say.

"Are you starting again?" Zhu Honggong was tired of hearing about how he should switch masters.

"Let's not talk about it for now. During this time, you'll stabilize your realm in the yellow lotus domain. When everything is settled, we'll leave this place…"

The yellow lotus domain was located close to the ocean. It felt as though it could be easily flooded. The lush islands and forests were the most unique scenery here since there were no changes in the four seasons of the year.